Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Getting Ready to Go!

In just two weeks, students from Seguin House at BMS will be loading up their canoes with supplies for four days on the water. A week later the students from Acadia House at BMS will head out, and WCS kids will wrap up this fall's trips the week after that. There is a buzz in the air this year -- kids are very excited for FLOW.

It's hard to believe that this is already the the third year of this program. As a staff, we strive to improve FLOW every year, and I am excited to share some the positive changes we have made for 2016.

There is a benefit to continuity in this type of learning experience, so we thought about ways to extend the relationships, skills, and lessons of the trip throughout the 8th grade year. In mid-October, each FLOW group will spend a day back at Chewonki with their trip leaders for a day of team building initiatives. This will give kids a chance to both revisit what they learned on FLOW and to think about ways they can incorporate their learning into other aspects of their lives. Again, in May, all 8th graders will spend a day back at Chewonki, but this time student groups will be reshuffled to give kids from both BMS houses and WCS the chance to get to know each other before heading off to Morse High School. "One-off" trips are fun, but our objective with FLOW is to use it as a springboard for continued growth. We want kids to discover what they are capable of, build self awareness, and to experience the strength that comes from working collaboratively with a group.

We look forward to seeing parents tonight at BMS from 6:00 to 7:00 for an informational meeting. Another meeting will be held at WCS from 6:00 to 7:00 on 9/13. Please remember that the deadlines for paperwork are set in stone this year. In order to attend the trip, all paperwork must be submitted by the following dates:

SEGUIN HOUSE: All paperwork due 9/6/2016ACADIA HOUSE: All paperwork due 9/13/2016WCS: All paperwork due 9/20/2016
Thanks for visiting the FLOW blog. We can't wait to get out on the water with your kids!

1 comment:

WCS had a great meeting with Lisa Packard of Chewonki today. Lisa is the Director of Outdoor Education at Chewonki. The kids now have a general idea of what to expect, what they will need to bring, etc. Now we need the Woolwich parents in attendance at the FLOW meeting on Tuesday, September 13 from 6-7 p.m. in the Woolwich cafeteria. Can't wait! I've been on the trip three different weeks and really am looking forward to experiencing this trip with the kids soon. Don't forget to complete your permission slips as well as your health history forms, etc. The students have their packets to be completed.